Current City Council Supports 1976 Boundaries -- Which Means Port Goes Back to First District

Several of my colleagues heaped praise on me the other night for distributing a copy of the 1976 council boundaries. Obviously, they liked the map because it showed the 7th District once had Bixby Road - which they used to support the taking of the same area grabbed the other night on a 7-2 vote.

So glad they appreciate history. I distributed the map to show that at one time, districts were very compact and not gerrymandered like most are now.

And now that I know how much they liked the "old boundaries" I am going to propose that we go back again to that map and move the Port of Long Beach back into the First Council district where it belongs. Fair? I think so. And I am sure they will heap more praise for bringing that to their attention as well.

See the 1976 map:

1976 Redistricting

Compare with current boundaries:

Current City Boundaries

LB Police Response to Constituent Concern About Burglaries

In response to a constituent's email to me about hearing about residential burglaries in the east side, I am posting Commander Lisa Lopez's response. I am also posting an illustration done by an alarm company in Maryland that pretty much sums it up about preventing residential burglaries:

The East Division has had an increase in residential burglary in 2011.  The East Division has been diligently working on suppression efforts, as well as increasing community awareness.  We have been assisted by volunteers, including Police Explorers and Search and Rescue, to distribute a flyer about residential burglary prevention and speak with residents about burglary trends in neighborhoods throughout East Division.  We have also been sharing information about crime trends at community meetings and encouraging people to report suspicious behavior in their neighborhoods.  Many great burglary-in-progress arrests have been made as a result of calls from the community about suspicious behavior.

In addition to Patrol Officers, we have an excellent team of Detectives who follow up on burglary incidents.  Our investigations are multifaceted, involving surveillance, follow up on repeat offenders, and search warrants.  We study trends within East Division, the entire city, and surrounding cities.  The majority of residential burglaries in East Division occur during daytime hours, when many houses and apartments are empty.  Over half of the residential burglaries in Long Beach occur to houses and apartments with open or unlocked doors and windows.  This is one of our most important messages for the community - please keep residences secure.  

Please call me if you would like to discuss this further.  I am happy to attend community meetings. 

Please know that I meet with Commander Lopez frequently and also receive updates via my Blackberry about what is occurring.You can also log onto www.Crimereports.com and enter your zip code to find out crimes that have been reported.

City Documents and Council Agenda Links

Happy 4th of July!

After you recover from this day and night of celebration, settle down and read several documents given to me down at City hall.

You will find them interesting -- I did.

Click here to read a proposal given to Councilman Patrick O'Donnell from the LB Firefighters Association which he gave to the Infrastructure and Transportation Committee. It proposes to create an independent Fire Protection District as a means of funding the department directly out of property tax increments instead of the City's general fund. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered before the City embarks on this. Other cities may be exploring this as well in light of recent state legislation that requires tax increment to be paid first to schools and then fire protection districts.

 

Southern California Edison provided me with a briefing (Click here) on their electricity utility. They are again reaching capacity over here in the 5th district due to all the electrical gadgets we use -- so they will be needing to install additional transformers so we don't have brownouts.   

As you already know, the City Council agenda is on line. Just click here to see what we are doing on Tuesday, July 5. You can leave a comment by clicking here. 

Hope you had a great holiday. And thanks for taking time to stay involved in the issues that face our City.

Yours,

Gerrie 

Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske

Shaping Up the 5th Yields Results

THE FIRST “SHAPING UP THE 5^TH” YIELDS A  “TO DO” LIST
A SECOND “SHAPING UP THE 5^TH” IS SET FOR July 30

(Long Beach, CA) – Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske and her staff are processing 133 service requests generated when residents took a walk around the Rancho Estates area on June 25^th looking for infrastructure problems and other issues.

“If these residents can spot 133 problems, just think of what an entire neighborhood could do,” said Schipske.  “It’s a great way to keep your body and your neighborhood in shape.”

The most common problems noted were raised sidewalks, cracked curbs, “alligatored” (multiple cracks and cratering) streets, faded street signs and trash cans left out after pick-up day. Some street signs were missing altogether.  Some homes had dry and overgrown foliage, which presents a fire hazard.

“We don’t just walk the walk, ” she said. “The service requests are sorted out and forwarded to the city Public Works Department or whichever department applies and we’ll keep tabs on them to see that some action is taken. Many repairs made now will save the city a lot of money in the future.”

The next “Shaping Up the Fifth” is July 30^th, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., covering the area east of Studebaker Road and north of Ward low Road.  All residents are invited to wear their comfortable shoes and meet in front of Keller Elementary School, 7020 Brittain Street.

Important Reminder: Support the Long Beach Fire Fighters Memorial Association 4th of July Fireworks Show

I was remiss in not pointing out earlier that the fireworks show at the Veterans Stadium is being done by the Long Beach Firefighters Memorial Association -- as they have done each year.

These guys do an incredible job putting this event together and use the proceeds to benefit a number of youth organizations in our community. Each year the costs for doing the event increase.

The cost is only $5.00 and you get to see a show inside the stadium that is not viewable outside.

The entire east side of Long Beach gets to see this show from the outside and those of you who will be at Rosie the Riveter Park, I ask that when we "pass the hat" around that day that you will give generously so that the firefighters can continue to provide this wonderful family event.

Free 4th of July Concert in Rosie the Riveter Park

Grab you chairs, blankets and food (but no alcohol) and plan on a fun evening concert and a view of the fireworks at Rosie the Riveter Park at the corner of Conant Street and Clark Avenue on July 4th beginning at 6pm.

The sounds of Motown will ring out in East Long Beach the evening of July 4th, when Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske hosts a "Custom Made" concert, at Rosie the Riveter Park and Interpretive Center, Clark Avenue and Conant Street, from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

"Custom Made" is the name of the band that will perform music from the 60's through the 80's, Motown and Top 40. The group has performed all over the world, including Las Vegas, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Disneyland, Germany, and for U.S. troops in Iraq.

Rosie the Riveter Park is three acres, adjacent to the former Douglas Aircraft Plant dedicated to the women who labored in the jobs men left behind during World War 2 and the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

You can also walk around the park and learn more about the women who did their part to help keep us free.

The park is adjacent to Veterans Memorial Stadium, where the city's annual fireworks display will be put on after sunset, so it offers a great viewing spot.

There are still tickets available for the fireworks show at the Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Schipske Launches "Shaping Up the 5th District" -- Combines Walking with Inventory of Infrastructure

June 20, 2011 – Is there a sidewalk that needs fixing in your neighborhood? Has a street sign faded and needs replacing? Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske invites  you to join her and other residents in launching “Shaping Up the 5^th District”--  a project that encourages walking while at the same time giving residents a chance to help inventory the things that need fixing in their neighborhoods.

“I started walking the 5^th district several years ago,” says Schipske. “But the district is 11.5 square miles and I need help in order to get to every street so that the city has a complete inventory of what needs to be repaired or replaced.” 

Schipske adds that rather than having the city spend funds on a street by street inventory of its infrastructure, she wants to encourage walking, while at the same time getting residents involved in the process of identifying what needs to be fixed. Residents who walk a neighborhood will be given a bright yellow “How Can I Help You?” card that includes a checklist that can be used to identify what needs to be fixed at each location walked.

Schipske notes that she offers residents several other ways of alerting her to what needs to be fixed: a website “Service Request” form that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (at www.lbdistrict5.com) ; email (district5@longbeach.gov); contact form on her blog (www.gerrieschipske.com) or by telephone during working hours (562 570-6932).

“Shaping Up the 5^th District will be just one more way residents can get involved in making certain the city is informed about what needs to be fixed.” 

“Shaping Up the 5^th District” will kick off in the Rancho’s neighborhood on Saturday, June 25, 9 am - 11am, 7130 E. Premium Street.  The walks will be scheduled monthly. Please wear comfortable shoes.

“I invite residents from other areas of the 5^th District to join in all of these walks so that you can see the conditions of all neighborhoods.”

#30

Fire Station Brownouts and Oil Revenue and Fire Insurance Rates

The City has received news...or let's say it became public.. but the price per barrel of oil has been much higher over the past year than was budgeted. City management budgeted oil revenue at $45a barrel. The average price oil has been in excess of $65 a barrel.

Now I know this won't last forever or then again it might, but don't you all think it is time that if the city has this revenue that we restore the cuts that were made to public safety?

For instance, Station 19 in the 5th district was on a brown out last Sunday. I know because I went over to the station and no one was there for the entire afternoon (or at least til 3 pm when I left the adjacent park).

We should be taking that revenue and staffing the fire department. We do not need to risk being classified as a Class III fire department because of inadequate staffing levels. Fire insurance rates are determined by the quality of local fire departments.

We also should be taking that revenue and scheduling a police academy for the fall so that we don't go further behind on staffing levels.

I will be sending out a survey asking if you agree that any additional revenue should be spent on restoring cuts to public safety services.

Why we need to care about what happens to hotel workers

There is a story that isn't getting much coverage in the Long Beach press about a group of hotel workers who contend that they have been fired from a local hotel because they complained about unfair working conditions -- which they are entitled to do under the National Labor Relations Act without fear of being retaliated against.

The story is complicated because it appears that the hotel utilized an agency to hire the workers, and the workers did the very same work as the directly hired housekeepers. However, the agency workers complained to the hotel that they did not receive the same pay. nor benefits as the other workers did doing the same work and that the agency failed to deduct the appropriate taxes from their pay. A state agency interviewed some of the workers and the workers were let go by the hotel.

Now, I know that some think that in this economy people should be grateful for even having a job and that if they don't like the conditions at their job then they can leave.

There are several things wrong with that line of thinking: no economic condition should ever justify the waiving of legal rights and working men and women (most of the housekeepers in this country are women) should not be forced to give up their rights to work under the laws that govern employment. And, workers should be paid equal pay for equal work.

More and more stories are coming out about the injuries, abuse and mistreatment of hotel housekeepers across this country. Hotel workers are 48% more likely to be injured on the job than the typical
worker in the service sector. Hotel workers also have higher rates of serious, disabling injuries—those that require days away from work or reassignment to light duty.

Apparently, the hotel industry's use of heavy mattresses and the repetitive work of lifting the mattress to put on and tuck in sheets causes serious back strain. Pushing supply carts that can weigh as much as 300 pounds across carpeted floors puts additional pressure on workers arms, backs and legs. Repetitive motions of lifting, bending, stretching and pushing to scrub, clean, dust and vacuum, are not the only dangers they face. Housekeepers are also exposed to potent industrial cleaners on a daily basis and chemical-induced skin rashes and eye irritations are common.


Housekeepers have long been silent about their working conditions because they do not want to lose their source of employment. So it takes great courage to speak up to an employer when you are making below poverty level wages and doing back breaking work that you know you need to do in order to support your family. 

Many people have become sensitive to not purchasing clothing made by child or slave labor -- no matter how inexpensive the product may be. Clothing manufacturers have pledged not to use sweat shops as a result of public pressure. We know that cheap clothing made by children or slaves is not right. We know that it is not fair.

Well, it is not right to enjoy the luxury of a clean hotel room, stocked with fresh linens and mini-bar, while knowing that the people who provided the services have not been treated fairly.

Community Meeting Packed

The Water Treatment plant was filled to capacity tonight as residents came to listen to information on many subjects impacting the 5th Council District:

• redistricting
• plastic bags
• medical marijuana
• crime
• development at Douglas Park and at Lakewood and Willow
• city budget
• sidewalk repair, street repair and tree trimming
• summer programs and concerts in the parks

I want to thank the residents, my staff and other city staff would came out tonight to make this successful. As soon as the new budget is released, we will meet again to go over the details.

Shoppers mad at City Plastic Bag Ban

Okay so I am home today because I have an eye infection and pharyngitis.

I go to the pharmacy at my local grocery store. I am recognized even in my disguise of sunglasses. The pharmacist begins telling me that many, many of his customers have told him that when the plastic bag ban starts, they are going to Lakewood to shop.

Oh, great. At least I got a smile when I said I voted against the ban.

Report shows collapse risk of LB Memorial Hospital 9.8% vs LB Community Hospital Which Was not Assigned a Risk

Recently, Long Beach Community Hospital was taken over by Long Beach Memorial Medical Center due to financial troubles that largely included a projection of substantial costs related to earthquake retrofitting for LB Community Hospital. When LBCH was taken over, Memorial indicated that it would remain an ER and acute care hospital only if it was feasible for Memorial to retrofit LBCH.

Well, that is certainly interesting in light of a recent report found by clicking here from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development  that indicates Memorial Medical Center is in fact in need of earthquake retrofitting due to an estimated 9.8% risk of collapse of its main tower and additions should it be hit by an earthquake of 7.1 or greater, while Long Beach Community Hospital was not assigned a collapse risk. (St. Mary Medical Bauer Wing was assessed having a 4.6% risk of collapse. Its south wing was assigned a 3.6% risk, while Pacific Hospital was not assigned a risk percentage.)

Hospitals which have been assigned a collapse risk of 1.2 percent of more must retrofit, replace or remove patient care from those buildings by 2015.

The report is not clear as to whether or not LBCH (or Pacific Hospital) submitted itself for assessment of collapse risk. Hospitals can escape the mandates to retrofit if they undergo an assessment that results in less than a 1.2% risk of collapse.

Survey Shows Support to Ban Styrofoam -- Opposed to Banning Plastic Bags

You can click here and read the results of the survey I just ran asking people for their opinions on whether or not to support State Senator Alan Lowenthal's bill to ban styrofoam containers and whether or not they supported or opposed the City Council recent vote to ban plastic bags in grocery stores. (I voted against the ban.)

The survey runs along the lines of the emails  received before the vote on the plastic bag ban -- people oppose this ban and the fee -- while they support banning styrofoam.

The survey was sent to 3800 people.

City Manager Posts Proposed New Maps of City Council Districts

You can see the proposed new maps of how City Council boundaries might be depending upon how City Council votes.

New boundaries are required because of changes in the census population. The only anomaly in the 5th Council District is that the 4th District boundary continues to jut into the 5th district in order to take park property even though there are no residents adjacent. Kinda silly. This would be like the 5th Council district boundary jutting downwards to include some beach property!(?) Oh well, we have much more important issues to grapple with than this.

Click here to see the proposed maps.

The Story of SEADIP -- How Corruption Brought a Plan

There is much confusion over exactly what is SEADIP in Long Beach, how it came about, whether or not it has to be followed today and why the issues it dealt with are the very same ones now being raised by potential developers at 2nd and PCH.

History:
In the 1970's Long Beach was famous for allowing the building of developments without much care for their impact. The City Planning Director in fact was convicted of taking more than $52,000 in bribes from a team of architects who worked on 6 projects..that by the way were built...including Marina Pacifica (at that time the largest building permit ever issued by the City Planning Department).

The City Manager resigned before being ousted and the Council formed taskforces to deal with a number of issues including: citizen participation, reforming appointments to committees, commissions and boards.

Prior to the arrest of the planning director a citizen taskforce north of Seal Beach. The plan to be developed was called Southeast Area Development and Improvement Plan (SEADIP). Members of the taskforce became very upset when it was disclosed that 4 of the developments for which bribes were accepted were in the area being studied for regulation.

The focus of the taskforce was to deal with development in a responsible way that did not adversely impact the existing neighborhoods. Residents contended that PCH and Second Streets were clogged.
They argued that projects already under way (Marina Pacifica Shopping Center and the Market
Place) were too big for their approaches and that coordination of planning between city and developers
was inadequate.

As the Chairwoman Jan Hall told the local press: "It would be a tragedy to allow high density development in the SEADIP area that would compel unacceptable traffic conditions or radical measures..."

One of many newspaper articles pointed out that increasing the density of the SEADIP area would not be consistent with the Naples-like character recommended for the area in a shore line study done for the city by Sasaki-Walker.

When the 113 page document was finalized by the taskforce and adopted by the Planning Commission, SEADIP was hailed in editorials by the local press because it was a compromise of development with preservation. -- setting a maximum commercial building height of 35 feet.

SEADIP became an amendment to the 1961 general plan and was adopted unanimously by the City Council in 1977.

See below to read a series of newspaper accounts of what went on during the formation of SEADIP.
 Traffic Snarls SEADIP
Del Sol Project Approved
Beginnings of SEADIP
SEADIP Talks Extended
SEADIP Hearings
LB City Council Adopts SEADIP
 SEADIP A Dilmemma for the City
 Heart and Soul of SEADIP Gets Approved
Citizens Help in Planning
The Map of Long Beach's Last Frontier
Editorial Praising SEADIP


There are many more articles on SEADIP. But these should give you an idea of the intent and purpose of those many citizen meetings.

LBTV Wins Two First Place Awards for Coverage of 5th District Solar Grand Prix

Long Beach Television (LBTV), a division of the City's Technology Services Department, received 11 government programming STAR awards at the States of California and Nevada National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (SCAN NATOA) annual conference in Long Beach on June 2, 2011.  The STAR Awards were established in 1996 to recognize outstanding community television programming produced by local jurisdictions serving California and Nevada communities.

"LBTV provides our community with some the nation's best local programming," said Mayor Bob Foster.  “I know first-hand that the LBTV staff are talented and hard-working professionals who are vital to telling viewers why it’s great to live and work in Long Beach in an informative and entertaining way.”

LBTV received first-place awards in four categories, second-place awards in five categories, including the prestigious Overall Excellence Award, and two third-place awards.

1944 Movie -- Since You Went Away -- to Show at Art Theater on June 12

Ladies and Gentlemen -- Get Ready for a Good Cry -- Art Theater to Show 1944 Film "Since You Went Away"

Long Beach, CA – Grab your favorite guy or gal and head on down to the Art Theater on Sunday, June 12 at 11 am and step back in time as you watch the 1944 film "Since You Went Away" presented by The Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation "Home Front Theater."

The very emotional 1944 film, Since You Went Away, depicts the life of a mother, played by Claudette Colbert, and her two daughters, played by Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple, on the home front at their father is away at work.  In their struggle to make ends meat, they take in a lodger.  However, the inconveniences and rationing cannot hinder the love affair of a daughter and the grandson of the lodger.  This movie won the 1945 Academy Award for Best Music, as well as, nominated for eight other nomination including Best Picture.  1940s newsreels will also be shown.

The screening will take place 11 a.m. at the Art Theater, 2025 4^th Street in Long Beach.  Tickets will be available at the door for a suggested contribution of $20 for The Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation, a non profit organization established to develop and maintain the history of the women who worked on the home front in Long Beach during WWII.